16/16 Season Four Episode Three: Unfinished Business-Scarecrow and Mrs King

We find Lee in the cemetery….
He’s alone and looking at some tombstones.Amanda walks up to him and joins him. She puts her hand on his back.Amanda (quietly): Hi.Lee: Hi. Amanda: I hope you don’t mind. I…called and you weren’t at the office and you weren’t at home so I figured you’d be here.(Lee shakes his head as she speaks, and he seems to be looking at the flowers she’s brought with her)Lee: No, not at all.Amanda: I grew these in the garden.(Lee is silent for a beat, and admires the flowers.. and likely the thoughtful delivery gal!) Lee: Thank you……Very pretty. [Okay for me, this reaction to the flowers is more Lee than the OTT reaction in their first scene 🙂 ](Amanda starts to bend down to place them on the graves. Lee watches Amanda closely as she does this with a big smile)(Once she’s placed the flowers down and has risen again, they both in unison let out a big sigh)Lee: I haven’t been by here in a long time……Somehow it always seemed easier to stay away,…(Lee smiles to himself)…but now…(We see a close up on the two tombstones. Learjet has transcribed it for us all:
Two small flags (one British and one American) between them and the flowers in the foreground. The left-hand gravestone reads “JENNIFER HAMILTON STETSON NOVEMBER 30, 1920 SEPTEMBER 18, 1955”. The other reads “MAJOR MATTHEW DAVIS STETSON JANUARY 5, 1920 SEPTEMBER 18, 1955”.) Good eyes Learjet!

[Umm.. what’s the flags? Is that a North American tradition I don’t know about?]
(we cut back to Lee and Amanda..Lee looking at the tombstones, Amanda holding his left hand in both of hers)(Amanda puts her hand gently to his back.. and speaks.. )Amanda (very quietly): OK. I’m gonna leave you alone now.Lee (quickly): No, Amanda…(He turns to face her and takes her two hands in his. As he so often does 🙂 )…No, don’t go.He seems to struggle to find the right words here a little.. He smiles at Amanda…[Oh my goodness.. has this man ever looked more attractive?!
Love will do that to a man ]Lee is silent a moment..
[He seems a little overwhelmed at the strength of his emotions.. but it’s all there in those eyes!! (The eyes have it!!) I think he looks really happy to have Amanda there with him – His Amanda!](I think he looks at her lips here )He shakes his head……I sure wish you could have known them.[‘known them’ Hmm.. there is that all important theme of knowing in smk again!!!!](He looks down at the tombstones then back up to Amanda) We cut to Amanda..She follows his eyes looking down at the tombstone..then.. she gets a little shy [or how would you describe it?] and looks back up at Lee.. She sighs… and then, with confidence she says…Amanda: I think I do.
Lee’s head snaps up –He looks at her silently.
[A nice little reference to that idea of knowing back in ATWAS. Amanda knows Lee’s parents, because he is his parent’s child.. Like father, like son as she said earlier!]
I think Lee looks at her lips here.. like he’s thinking of a kiss..he even moves his head forward a fraction..Amanda smiles and chuckles a little..Kiss? Kiss? NNNNNNNo kiss.. [boo!]Instead they go in for the hug. It’s like Lee pulls her arms around him a little..
And then her arms find their own way around him..Nice little snuggle!
The episode ends here. Awh.. I’m happy with the hug after all 🙂 How about you?
All the hug observers will note – her arms are no longer on his lapels!!.. they are on his back – there’s now nothing between the two of them though I note his arms go all the way around.. her’s don’t.. maybe we’ll see that next hug haaaa!

Again, no words are exchanged.. but there is plenty being said here huh! Just like the tag to All the world’s a stage. It’s wonderful, and we get the overall idea.. but we can pretty much see what we want to see IMHO!
There are no smk authorities here! 🙂
Do tell what you see!

I think it’s interesting to note this ep has no kiss. [was this KJ’s decision?! curious..]
Twice there was a moment where they could have.. but they didn’t. And.. we even had a few Whoooo Haaaaa!!!! moments where the sexual tension was hinted at (IMHO of course).
I think as this was the start of season 4, and there was a gap between ATWAS and this ep – they are building up the tension for audiences in preparation for what’s ahead. It still feels to me like the romance is fresh and new.

I love that while the relationship went to another level in ATWAS, it wasn’t finished developing and growing. Also, just because they are now ‘together’ doesn’t mean the characters as individuals have stopped growing. Their stories continue. Awesome!!! That is a credit to the writers and the actors… and I love it. How about you? Do tell!

We still don’t actually know how Lee came to be sent those CIA files and what set this whole thing off do we? I’m thinking, as I briefly mentioned earlier- I think Lee’s relationship and security with Amanda enabled his subconscious to begin to surface past traumatic experiences that he was finally able to deal with.

And here, in the tag, Lee admits it had previously been easier to not visit their graves (I think literally and figuratively), but now – it feels like the right thing to do.. and Lee is much happier now that he has dealt with the past, with Amanda there with him Terribly swoony!!

There’s also the story about Lee opening up to Amanda and trusting her with this most painful part of his past.. she overstepped the boundaries at first due to her worry, but more than made up for it throughout by being careful to give him space.. and let him come to her and include her.. I enjoyed this aspect of this ep’s story too!

Overall I think this episode is wonderful!!! I don’t know that I’d put it in my top five, but I’ve really enjoyed learning more about Lee and seeing Lee and Amanda’s further development in this ep. How about you?

Love this colour on KJ.. and the tans they’ve both developed over the summer break have them both looking AAAAAAadorable. Could do without the red leather belt though- ahem. But.. Lee is certainly looking mighty fine here (without a red belt 😉 ). I wonder.. is this the same dress Amanda is wearing in this promo shot?I think it is.. I hope we see it again! Pink is definitely KJ’s colour! and blue is Lee’s (IMHO) lol. no gender stereotyping going on here! ha!

Lee looked especially dreamy here.. Just.. take another look.. Who’s swooning??!!! I’m swooning!!!! His love for Amanda just oozes in those looks!

Don’t want to nitpick but… [hey, you know me!] The whole Billy randomly accusing Lee of being obsessed artificial road block is a bit clunky. I like to think there was a scene in there where Billy learned of Lee’s personal connection to Blackthorne, then the obsession accusation makes a little more sense to me. But lol I wanted to see Billy’s face when he found out Blackie murdered Lee’s parents! I think Billy may have said: Here Lee, let me put another bullet in him! 😉 tee hee..
Oh and rofl… is Francine still out the front of the plaza hotel sulking? I would have loved to see her face when Amanda brought the car back haaaaa!!!

I’m guessing this may have already come up as we chat about this episode but – where does the Colonel fit in all this? he is an American Colonel? she was a British Citizen? How could he not even rate a mention in this episode? Booooooo.. I would have preferred he was even played by a different actor than the original (okay maybe not Sam Melville or Daniel Davis please!!) –but I think his absence is a bit clunky.

Ohhh!!! and I can’t finish without a massive cheer: HOOORAHH!!! Amanda has an ID badge!!!!! bye bye Guest pass!!!!!!!!!!!

Huge thanks to Learjet – who has single-handedly transcribed and formatted this swoony ep for us all to enjoy. Learjet- we salute you!!!!! I’m extremely grateful to you for everything you do!!!!! Without Learjet this blog would be back at Welcome to Mr Brand. lol..

Next up is a Tuxedo voting post..
Aiming to start walking through the Stemwinders from 1 August – so if you want to catch up- see if you can catch up by then! Whooo hoooooo!!!! Fun times ahead!!!!

Come on everyone! Please share your thoughts on this tag and episode with us all!! 🙂 Thanks for walking with me!!

37 responses to “16/16 Season Four Episode Three: Unfinished Business-Scarecrow and Mrs King”

Again I am kind of late to the conversation. I have to admit I kind of went quickly through the walk the first time and now I am revisiting. I would have skipped this one but then I saw one of Love SMK’s videos yesterday-bad day at work! and absolutely love them. It is different seeing the action versus the static pictures. Scenes from this show caught my eye. I am a speech language pathologist by trade so communication is my thing and currently I oversee a site where the majority of students have little or no oral language. Our mantra is behavior is communication so when I watched the video I was struck by how Amanda and Lee’s embraces (not hugs) have changed-especially since OOADP through Triumvirate, and ATHWAS to this episode. In OOADP during the scene on the building Lee is finally aware of what it would mean to not have Amanda in his life. Unwittingly and a bit against his will as the lone wolf however he has somehow come to know her so well that he is able to discern who is Karen and who is Amanda. He rescues Amanda (yet again) but the emotions he feels catches him by surprise. Despite his best efforts to keep her compartmentalized, she has become important to him. It would hurt to lose her. He embraces her without thinking and without his usual Scarecrow walls and she seeks shelter in his arms because he has yet again kept her from harm. While important I think it lacks passion. It is about comfort and an acknowledgment of what could have been lost. Moving forward they are partners but as someone said, unequal partners and continue to protect each other physically from harm. I really see them in Season 3 as flirty, attracted to one another but wary of what that means and fiercely protective of each other. They are friends, partners and maybe something more, but who will blink first? Fast forward to Triumvirate. Lee rescues Amanda again but both of them are more aware of what is between them. They feel something, they know they each feel it and the embrace at the end is again Amanda seeking comfort but this time it is a deeper, deliberate act. It isn’t a reaction born from panic-it is a conscious decision and he willingly provides the comfort she needs. We get to ATWAS. I have begun to see the embrace at the end as an experiment. “We’ve been dancing around this, let’s just see what happens and let the chips fall where they may”. Like they were as frustrated as we were. It goes well as experiments go but I don’t sense that between ATWAS and UB that they talked much about where they are and what it means. They seemed too tentative in their first scene to imagine they are in any way “settled” or committed. I love the scene in the bedroom-not for the passion just under the surface (although fun to watch) but for Amanda’s persistence to assure him she is strong enough to support him emotionally. She is there for the long haul, good or bad. She finally understands how much he has walled himself off to protect himself from further harm and why. She gently but firmly lets him know it is no longer necessary. She is ready when he is but she isn’t going away. In the scene at Blackthorne’s mansion she again offers the gentle embrace and he not only accepts it, he needs it. He leans into her almost as if he can’t help it, much like she did in Triumvirate and only then she deepens the embrace. At the cemetery, it is the first time he asks her to stay, not because he is physically vulnerable as he was in TEHI but he is emotionally vulnerable. He moves in closer and her embrace is not only loving, it is protective. In the OOADP comments I read Amanda needed a hug from a good man because she hadn’t had one in a long time. In this episode Lee needed the embrace of a good woman. They have fully embraced each other. They have shown their commitment and soon they will speak the words. Way too long. Sorry.

No need to apologize. Your post was precisely as long as it needed to be for you to convey what you see in Lee’s and Amanda’s body language, as their relationship expands, based on your particular area of expertise. I, for one, found your insights enlightening!

hear hear! Thanks Nancy!
Maureen there was a time when I could reply to every comment on this blog… Now I struggle to find the time to write the posts much less reply to comments.But Ohhhh I really I wish I could still!!!
Anyway, I’m so glad that readers can chat together and reply 🙂
Please keep the comments coming – all comments are very welcome!

The gentle voices, the looks by Lee, and the closer hug with no hands on lapels goes a very long way to make up for this episode’s shortcomings. Scenes like this are why S4 is my favorite. I love that Lee here seems completely open to Amanda and is even glad (with no apparent hesitation) that she came to find him despite how he shut her out at the beginning. I love how he has transformed from being a closed door to becoming wide open and fully embracing.

Oh my goodness.. has this man ever looked more attractive?!
Love will do that to a man

Very true! He is a man in love here. I don’t even miss the flexing masseter 😉

I sure wish you could have known them.

I wish Lee could have known them too…. Sorry, just one small critique.

As a hug observer, I am much happier with this hug because Amanda actually does not keep her forearms between her and Lee. Maybe one of these days we’ll get a hug with her arms wrapped around Lee like his are around hers. I may be putting too much of myself in SMK hug analysis, but this is not how I hug a man I am in newly love with. Or even a man I am married to 😀 This is how I hug my girlfriends or other family relatives. So…it makes me wonder about Amanda and just how far in she is with Lee and her heart. It suggests to me that she is not nearly in love with him as he is with her. It makes me think that she is holding back and is less sure of what she wants/hopes to have with Lee. And I don’t think this is a PG version of a hug or anything. Lee is really going for it – why isn’t Amanda?

I don’t mind the lack of kiss in this episode – it was very emotionally intense for Lee and I think it would have felt a bit gratuitous. I always wish for kisses, but I don’t mind that we didn’t get one. Perhaps I am also soothed by the fact that this is the “first” episode of S4 and figure there has to be some kissing in their future.

This is not one of my top SMK episodes, but the scene in Lee’s bedroom, their walk in the park, and the two ending scenes make this a worthy watch. The brief comic bits in it are great too.

HOOORAHH!!! Amanda has an ID badge!!!!! bye bye Guest pass!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen, sister! And agree completely on the lack of mention of the colonel.

I like your thoughts about the hug. Iwsod even points out how Lee has her hands and sort of pulls her toward him so her hands aren’t on his lapels or caught between them. I wondered if Amanda was assessing his state of mind from earlier events and letting him take the lead on things? I could see it from your perspective too, that he may be more in love with her. But since she was pushed away initially and she knows it was a difficult case, she may still be giving him a little space. Lee’s actions say, “No…I need you…all of you!”

I like your take, sara. I can see how she might have been reacting to how things were earlier and may be trying to give him a little space by her physical actions in the hug here. This way of thinking can help explain her “half hug”. I like what you say about Lee’s actions even more 😉

I like your hug analysis, BJo. Yes, good to see that Amanda’s arms aren’t between them as before, but it does seem that Lee seems to be farther along in openness than she is. Could that relate back to the question Amanda almost asked Lee while he was drugged? Is she waiting to hear those three little words before she’ll let herself be fully committed?

Like Iwsod, I really enjoy this episode. Partly because I like KJ’s style of directing, but also because I enjoy the personal nature of the story and the insight we gain into Lee’s past (while Amanda simultaneously gains insight into Lee’s past). It feels like we and Amanda are getting to know Lee better, while Lee works through aspects of his past, and comes out the other end a more mature individual. I think one of the roles of a (permanent or long-term) romantic partner is to help the other person come to terms with his/her past, grow and move on, and we see this occurring here. I don’t feel the absence of a kiss here – it would detract from Lee’s story.
(And it’s always a pleasure to help out at JWWM, Iwsod. And thanks to KC for her eagle-eyed checking on this transcription 🙂 )

I have really enjoyed reading all the blog posts on this episode. Thank you Iwsod and Learjet for all your work. I have been having some rambling “Amanda like” thoughts going on in my head on all of this for awhile based on what I was reading. So I found some time to write them out to share. First, this tag makes me think of the quintessential when the boy finally brings the girl he has been dating home to meet his parents first the time. This tag is so bittersweet for Lee, imho. Hence he says to Amanda “I wish you could have known them.” I think this is what is going on in his head and I definitely agree it is swoony. This also explains, to me, why he pushes Amanda way at the beginning of the episode which kept reminding me of his actions in “The First Time” which I think someone else might have mentioned as well. This is one part of him he is not just ready yet to share with Amanda. Yet, Amanda, in her gentle way, continues to show him how much she cares about him and that he can trust her – even with this. This also led me to think this would have been a great third season episode. In thinking just about the development of their relationship, third season has a lot of back story which I love when they incorporated that into the episodes – Wizard of Oz and Wrong Way Home. This episode just seems to me to fit in with those. Dealing with their pasts together is what brings Amanda and Lee closer and closer. I almost would have liked to see this episode before Dead Man Leave No Trails, had that episode as the end of Season 3, and then start Season 4 with All the World is a Stage and their first kiss. This is why to me there is no kiss in this episode . The hug fits where they are. I loved Iwsod how you referred to Blackthorne as “Blackie” which cracked me up and then there was “Goldie.” That gave me the idea that Amanda and the boys should have a nice Golden and/or Lab in the backyard which could have been an ongoing gag because every time Lee came into the backyard, the dog could have somehow signaled Amanda to his presence. (I have a golden/lab mix trained service dog.) I really enjoyed this episode for its mix of fun and serious parts. Again, just some ramblings to share developed while I was cleaning.

“… this tag makes me think of the quintessential when the boy finally brings the girl he has been dating home to meet his parents first the time. This tag is so bittersweet for Lee, imho.”

Oh yes! The bringing her “home to meet his parents” is such a great insight and, in typical Amanda fashion, she just shows up because she understands perfectly what Lee (with his prior dating history) didn’t even fully understand in himself!

Bitter: Lee stayed away for years because he was not yet ready to lay his parents to rest. Sweet: Now Lee finds peace — in having completed Matt & Jennie’s mission to expose and stop Blackthorne AND in the woman who is his own true love (with whom he will have the family he’s longed for).

First, this tag makes me think of the quintessential when the boy finally brings the girl he has been dating home to meet his parents first the time. This tag is so bittersweet for Lee, imho.

I like that thought, Rachel.
As almost everything with Lee, even ‘bringing the girl he has been dating home to meet his parents for the first time’ isn’t the way it usually happens. First because he lost his parents and second there hasn’t been a home since Lee was five years old. Therefore he has to bring Amanda to his parents graves to ‘meet’ them… bittersweet indeed.

Hence he says to Amanda “I wish you could have known them.” I think this is what is going on in his head and I definitely agree it is swoony.

It’s swoony, I agree, but also bittersweet, ’cause I wish, he could have known his parents for a longer time himself and therefore known them even better than he does.

But what a great development Lee accomplished.
Looking back at him at ‘The First Time’ (or S1 in general) he would never have allowed Amanda to even have a glimpse at his past (that’s too personal, Amanda – remember in ‘Magic Bus’ when Amanda asked him if he ever has been married?) and now he allows her to meet him at his parents graves, ‘meeting’ them, too – that’s nearly as personal as possible.

I’m back! Have been looking forward to getting back to Rachelinplaid’s comment here! 🙂

Thank you Iwsod and Learjet for all your work.

You are very welcome Rachelinplaid 🙂 I’m encouraged to hear you are enjoying the show while we walk..

I have been having some rambling “Amanda like” thoughts going on in my head on all of this for awhile based on what I was reading.

Whooooo don’t hold back! do tell! 🙂

First, this tag makes me think of the quintessential when the boy finally brings the girl he has been dating home to meet his parents first the time. This tag is so bittersweet for Lee, imho. Hence he says to Amanda “I wish you could have known them.” I think this is what is going on in his head and I definitely agree it is swoony.

Really interesting! I hadn’t picked up on that at all. The bittersweeet quality yes, but not the meeting the Stetsons vibe. I think this is because the scene starts with Lee alone, and Amanda joins him proactively. She wasn’t invited, and they didn’t show up together.
However…. things change when Amanda basically offers to go… and he says no stay – then the mood shifts into a meet the parents vibe. I think Lee’s thoughts change direction and head that way too..
To start with he was thinking of how he had avoided coming (thoughts of the past) and his thoughts shift to Amanda and his wishing she could have known them (thoughts that are more about incorporating the past and the future). So having thought on this, I’ve taken Rachelinplaid’s idea on board and am seeing that this scene isn’t completely a meet the parents, but it morphs into one and has elements of it. Just my take on it- and I love that smk doesn’t get too prescriptive in scenes like this. we can see what we want to see 🙂

This also explains, to me, why he pushes Amanda way at the beginning of the episode which kept reminding me of his actions in “The First Time” which I think someone else might have mentioned as well. This is one part of him he is not just ready yet to share with Amanda.

I agree! It’s a lovely story arc!

This also led me to think this would have been a great third season episode. In thinking just about the development of their relationship, third season has a lot of back story which I love when they incorporated that into the episodes

Whooooooooo!
I’m so frustrated I don’t have the time I wish I could have to explore this more deeply.. like the time I had when walking through seasons 1 and 2.. IThe great thing is – these ideas will still be around and explorable in years to come!
Would you guys like me to publish a post that could function as a place for these more longer term (not episode specific) kind of thoughts to be shared? Any ideas or requests? I’m happy to do it if it will make it easier to explore..

I will be far too brief in responding to your thoughts on season 3/4 character development here Rachelinplaid, but I’ll share what I can 🙂
I enjoyed reading your thoughts.. great to explore different ideas about the story overall.. I had never considered putting unfinished business in season 3.

What does everyone else think?

I’m thinking I like where it is. I like that this comes up after Lee and Amanda have taken the step of officially being a romantic couple. And I like that character development continues to happen after that step has been taken.. the romance step isn’t the final chapter in the book.. the story continues..
Plus, I am pretty attached to the idea of Lee dealing with the loss of his parents because he is secure in his relationship with Amanda – which before the step was secure, but it was not defined. It is now defined, and IMHO adds to that security. Thoughts anyone?

I loved Iwsod how you referred to Blackthorne as “Blackie” which cracked me up and then there was “Goldie.”

Yes us Australians love to put -ie on the end of things!

That gave me the idea that Amanda and the boys should have a nice Golden and/or Lab in the backyard which could have been an ongoing gag because every time Lee came into the backyard, the dog could have somehow signaled Amanda to his presence. (I have a golden/lab mix trained service dog.)

rofl I love it! and it would have kept a few dog trainers off the streets for a few years haaaa.. it could have complicated things having a dog. lol. but.. I wish they did too!

I really enjoyed this episode for its mix of fun and serious parts. Again, just some ramblings to share developed while I was cleaning.

Hear Hear! I’m a little sad to move on to the next. I often feel this way about an episode I’ve enjoyed.. and then the moment the next ep starts I’m into it!

Good work!!!
I love love this dress. The color, the cut … I want it.
It is a beautiful ending, the past can be processed healthy and Goldie is also safe.
No kiss, I can live with that. The hug was sweet and I like Amanda taking his hand.
I’m glad the episode also had a few light, funny moments.
The gate, Francine, Don Johnson ….
So cute that Lee uses the same pick-up line as his dad. Does he give the trick to the guys?

No kiss, I can live with that. The hug was sweet and I like Amanda taking his hand.

I agree! 🙂

I’m glad the episode also had a few light, funny moments.
The gate, Francine, Don Johnson ….

Hear hear! I loved the scene where Lee and Amanda are fighting in the IFF corridor about Amanda helping Lee steal the drug haaaa..

So cute that Lee uses the same pick-up line as his dad. Does he give the trick to the guys?

Cosmic Love tricks! 😉

Didn’t Lee use the same strategy to great effect in germany or something/ I remember Francine saying this to defend Lee in The first time, and Lee saying something about owing her dinner (gag. so glad that phase is behind us!)

Didn’t Lee use the same strategy to great effect in germany or something/ I remember Francine saying this to defend Lee in The first time, and Lee saying something about owing her dinner (gag. so glad that phase is behind us!)

Yep, he first used that strategy in Munich with some list or a formular he had to secure, but we neither know about the line he used nor whether it was a man or a woman he asked.
If it has been a woman, it obviously didn’t turn out the same way as it has with Amanda (Hooray!!) 😀

Excellent work on this episode, iwsod and Learjet … hats off to you !! S4 is off to a great start.

Actually, I would call the color of Amanda’s dress persimmon and it is indeed an attractive and vibrant color for her.

It is a tradition here a few days before Memorial Day (late May) and Veterans Day (November 11th), in cemeteries across the USA, to place a small American flag at the grave of those who served in the U.S. Military. They are usually collected a few days later to be used again 6 months later. Since no other flags are visible in the cemetery where Matt and Jennie are buried, it probably wasn’t one of those 2 days (Note: one wouldn’t be placed for Jennie) so someone (could be Billy Melrose, Colonel Robert Clayton or even Amanda) placed the U.S. and U.K. flags there to honor Matthew and Jennie Stetson.

Lee and Amanda have been there for each other professionally and personally; both made the effort to develop a deep and abiding friendship. They truly complement one another now and I say: time to quit pussyfooting around … it’s all systems go … put the pedal to the metal!

We place Canadian flags on my father-in-law’s and grandfather in-law’s grave. There is also a non-profit group “No Stone Left Alone” and the week before Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), school kids place a poppy on every grave of someone who served no matter when they died. It is a very moving and poignant.

Actually, I would call the color of Amanda’s dress persimmon and it is indeed an attractive and vibrant color for her.

Persimmon eh… What about…. Burnt sand?! 😉 tee heee…

Thanks for sharing about memorial day and all that background. It doesn’t look like any other grave has flags. they all seem to have flowers.
When I looked at the wide shot I had a little giggle.. it looks to me like they decided to stick a few stones in a park -doesn’t really look like a graveyard..

Lee and Amanda have been there for each other professionally and personally; both made the effort to develop a deep and abiding friendship. They truly complement one another now and I say: time to quit pussyfooting around … it’s all systems go … put the pedal to the metal!

If you visit the American Military Cemeteries in Europe(from WWI&II) around Memorial Day and the 11th of November(Remembrance Day in France and the UK) you will find that every grave stone has 2 flags, the US flag and the flag of the country where the cemetery is located. Even more touching(not sure if that is he correct term?) is that many of the graves have an arrangement of fresh cut flowers on them, even after over 70 years, and with the WWI graves it is almost a 100 years. Placing flag and flowers on a grave is a tradition that lives on.

I do not think it was a military cemetery. If it had been you would have seen rows of white tomb stones. Now it could have been a cemetery where the tomb stones are flat and not standing, or just a quick Hollywood setup for a shot?
As far as Jennifer and Matthew not being soldiers? Having the Title Major means he was a soldier so that means he gets a flag. With Jennifer, well the UK has a different set up, but if you served in any way to help the war effort then you are considered a Veteran.
I am interested in History, and as professor once told me a cemetery is a good place to find out facts and information.

cool Gilby, we’ll count on you to keep us on the historical straight and narrow 🙂

I missed that it says Major on Matthew Stetson’s gravestone! There that answers my confusion over whether Matthew Stetson was still in Army Intelligence at the time of his death! Thanks for pointing that out Gilby!

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in “Operation Market Garden” in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944-5. Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted.
It is even the custom to keep a portrait of “their” soldier in a place of honor in their home. Annually, on “Liberation Day,” memorial services are held for “the men who died to liberate Holland.” The day concludes with a concert. The final piece is always “Il Silenzio,” a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland’s liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

Hi Nancy, it’s very moving – every country has different locations and ways they honour the lives of their fallen. And lovely to hear an example of a country honouring their fallen allies.

Jennifer may not have been in the military at her death, but she was working in some capacity to bring down a bad guy.. [maybe she was in the Military I really don’t know]. I guess they couldn’t have only put an American flag, that would have looked weird. Good they honoured Jennifer’s home country too.

Are we all ready for stemwinder? I’ll get back here tonight to publish it..
bye all!

Monmimi1 was on the right track IMO believing it was Lee, who placed the Union Jack and Stars & Stripes to honor his Mom and Dad. At a private (vs military) cemetery, there’s great leeway in what is placed at a grave. You, iwsod, are wise to the ways of Hollywood when you noticed that the “cemetery” was really a park dressed up by the props dept.

I have to been the Netherlands Cemetery in Margraten twice, first time was for the ceremony to mark the US Memorial Day. The second visit was part of a Re-Enactment Group along with members from the Keep’em Rolling(besides dressing up in vintage WWII uniforms they keep vintage Jeeps, Trucks and Tanks in working order), they were there because a GI from WWII had been found and was being honoured. I think this was sometime in the 1990’s? I do not remember if he was buried there or returned to the US? Anyway, that is the first time I heard ‘Il Silenzio’, very moving.

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